The Basics And Implications Of Data As A Service

July 12, 2013
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Managing data for a large company can be a complex, difficult task. Account information, data storage, network backups and everything else combine into a massive pile of data that needs to be sorted and secured. Data as a Service, or DaaS, is one new model of cloud computing that will vastly simplify everything.

The Modern Benefits of DaaS

Data as a Service is part of a general trend towards more cloud services in business and data management. It’s incredibly useful for a number of reasons. It takes direct data management out of the hands of in-house IT and puts it in the capable hands — and infrastructure — of a cloud service provider. This itself has a number of benefits.

Agility and Responsiveness.

Most of the cloud service providers that offer DaaS today are set up to provide easy access for various architectures. Pretty much no matter how you want to access your data, you can do it through DaaS without issue

Quality Control.

With a cloud service, your data doesn’t spoil. There are drastically fewer errors and corruptions due to transmission errors. The cloud service also ensures that older data remains pristine, as they can’t be seen to lose even a byte

Price.

Cloud services are quick to set up and deploy because the majority of the necessary software and architecture is on the cloud itself. Very little needs to be installed on local machines. It is all very dynamic as well, allowing changes as the business adapts and grows

The Drawbacks of DaaS for Business

Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows with cloud services. The industry has a number of criticisms, some of which are of great concern to data managers. DaaS may be closer to ideal than in-house data management, but it’s not perfect.

Privacy.

Cloud services try to secure themselves as much as possible, but the reality is that no cloud service will ever be as secure as a completely offline data infrastructre secured in-house. With DaaS, you are transmitting data over the Internet to the cloud. While traffic may be encrypted, and the cloud may have excellent data security, the fact remains that the process adds vulnerabilities. All it takes is one slip at the wrong time to make your data completely vulnerable

Security.

Most cloud providers pride themselves on their data security, and with good reason. They have a driving force pushing them towards pure encryption and access security. While your data on the cloud may be perfectly safe, once again it is accessing that data that forms a weak point. DaaS systems make it easy to access your data in a variety of ways, for agility as a benefit listed above. Unfortunately, more variable access methods mean more vulnerability to unauthorized access. Much of the concern falls on the company using DaaS, of course — the cloud itself is very secure. All it takes, however, is one flaw in the company data access program to leave a distressingly large hole in security

Integrity and Governance.

The cloud holding data secure means that your data has the potential to be that much more usable and reliable, with local in-house errors eliminated. That said, in order to prove the data is reliable, extensive tests and checks need to be enacted. It’s difficult to verify cloud data, but for many uses of that data, it is essential

DaaS in the Future

What it all comes down to is that Data as a Service provides a lot of benefit for companies with only a few small drawbacks. The drawbacks are largely due to the relative newness of the system and inexperience of those using it. Eventually, systems will emerge that eliminate these drawbacks, as long as enough interest in DaaS remains to spur their development. Once the primary concerns are addressed, DaaS will skyrocket in usage.

Now is the best time to adopt DaaS, despite the drawbacks. It allows data managers to step up to the plate with technology that will undoubtedly be huge in the future. Large-scale implementations of DaaS are coming, and it’s better to get involved now and learn the ropes than step into the game late with no experience.

Ian Cartwright works with ASG Software Solutions and is a freelance tech writer. He enjoys writing about current trends in the business tech world.